MIMM: April goals, San Diego, & Team Paleo Challenge

Wow, it's halfway into April and I never did my goals for the month. I've been super busy and slacking off on the posts.

Want an idea of how busy I am? This is my schedule from 6 AM to 9 PM from the week. :( Actually, it's MARVELOUS because I'm always busy and not bored. It does get overwhelming sometimes.

Okay, back to those goals. Here were my March goals.

• Get an A in my first class! Did it and it was a high A. I slacked off that last week while on vacation though.
• Read a book. This just didn't happen. I'm not sure when I'll have time, but I'd like to read Wild and 13 Reasons Why.
• Go to CrossFit 3-4 times per week. I average 2-3 times per week and do intend to go more. I have to commit to waking up at 5 for the 6 A.M. class or go later, which I have yet to do. I'm doing less cherry-picking, especially now that I can actually able to jump rope and do wall walks. Jump roping just clicked one day and wall walks just started happening. I'm definitely getting stronger. Besides waking up early, I'm having pain in my right arm from work. :(
• Keep budgeting! I saved and spent the allotted amount on vacation. San Francisco wasn't too expensive.
• Enjoy my trip to San Francisco. San Francisco is now my favorite city. It's paradise. I want to live there if only I could find a job there. I had fun walking, taking public transportation, eating, drinking, meeting new people, going to yoga and CrossFit, and relaxing. Vacation is great for me especially when I can relax.
• Apply for 5 jobs. There were few job openings, but that's no excuse. I've let the ball drop however, I was fortunate to be taking a long-term sub position starting in May.

April goals

• Learn in my online class. I didn't learn a whole lot in my last class, but this class is "Special Education Law" and there's a real test at the end.
• Enjoy spring weather & friends. I have quite an agenda this month possibly. A friend is coming to San Diego from Denver and I may visit my friend in L.A. on two separate weekends this month. I should also take this time to read.
• Read a book. Also, spend a day doing nothing.
• Go to CrossFit 4 times per week. Gotta get my money's worth and get stronger! I love it and want to do more.
• Go to yoga 2 times per week. I bought a CorePower Yoga deal. Secondly, I've pretty much given up cardio at this point and it hasn't been a big deal. You know what else hasn't been a big deal? My weight. I've struggled over the last few years, but I realized that I've been at the same weight for almost a year now!
• Buy and wear cuter clothes. As I mentioned above, my weight hasn't quite changed. My body has - my arms are huge right now - but I've leveled out for the most part. I need to invest in some teaching clothes and stop wearing my mom's.
• Keep budgeting! So I forgot that I have to student teach and it'll be a rough 3 months. :(

Our gym is holding a MARVELOUS Team Paleo Challenge. My partner took a couple days off for baseball games, but I continued to eat Paleo.

Tuesday: black coffee, which thankfully is the only kind I drink, and oatmeal minus the oats

Wednesday: my pancake did not stay in pancake shape

Chicken tenders in salsa verde, but the salsa was too watery

Thursday: sweet potato half with coconut butter & chicken sausage

Sardines & avocado. Could've used some salt.

Friday: I'm crazy for nuts and dried fruit. In moderation of course.

Simplest almond flour pancakes made with

San Diego after work on Friday

View of San Diego from La Jolla

Awesome cardio hike up these makeshift stairs.

 

I was overly dressed for this nude beach we stumbled upon in La Jolla. Who knew?!

 

Beers at Hillcrest Brewing. I got one of the flights but got served the wrong one so our server brought me the right ones too.

Not Paleo. Shhh. 

I didn't get home until 2 A.M. and I quickly plopped into bed.

Of course I missed Saturday morning boot camp.

Paleo bread with chicken sausage and strawberries

Baked sweet potato chips

Have you tried Paleo or Whole30? I haven't tried Whole30, but it seems similar to Paleo.
What are your April goals?

March goals, pure and simple

February goals:

• Apply for 10 more jobs. Big step up from last month.
• Read a book.
• Send Yancey and Weston's Valentine's Day package.
• Practice yoga, stretching, or walk 2xs each week in addition to regular workouts.
• Get back to budgeting weekly. 

The reality is I didn't apply for 10 jobs this month. The count came about about 5, partly because I haven't been trying but mostly because jobs are MIA at this point in the year.

March goals:

• Get an A in my first class! I'm back in school... online.
• Read a book. Yep, I'm still planning on this one even with textbooks I'll have to read now.

(source)
• Go to CrossFit 3-4 times per week.
• Keep budgeting! I did okay but not great, particularly because I bought a few extras (vacations).
• Enjoy my trip to San Francisco. 
• Apply for 5 jobs.

The class I'm taking is online and lasts one month, which means there's no time to spare. I prepared a schedule for the week:

What will you do this month?

MIMM: What to do differently

I didn't watch the Superbowl. Instead, I worked then got sent home early because it was so slow. I had time to stop by for a Superbowl special of lamb sliders with red pepper spread and arugula at Whole Foods for $1 each! I ate 2 of them open-faced.

We enjoyed a gorgeous weekend. It, at the least, kept me in a good mood while working.

This coming week involves a lot more work. I work both jobs Monday-Wednesday then get some days off after 6 days in a row at my part-time job. I can't wait - it seems like a vacation!

Tonight, as I watched "Hotel Transylvania," I stumbled upon some good reads.

Of course, I read this article on metabolic damage, which reminded me to do things a little differently.

"when we workout while the body is recovering, our bodies will go into a state of shock and STOP producing results. Continuing on this path leads to little to no results; it makes us fatigued, tired, cranky, and blown out, and usually that’s followed by frustration."

I completely have all the signs of metabolic damage, especially the strange cold hands and feet and low pulse (~45 bpm)!

Another read that came up on my feed was tips from "The Biggest Loser" trainers. Anyone watching the show? It's sometimes hard to watch because of all the emotion. I recall one of the tips, from Dolvett: "the numbers on the scale weren't dropping because of 'the weight in her head.'"

So, I did some nostalgic research. I looked at posts from a year ago and my workout log. One year ago today, I was about to start Jamie Eason's LiveFit Trainer, eating her turkey meatloaf, drinking protein shakes a lot, and was struggling to study for my CTEL exam.

What's different?

• My arms are stronger. They used to be so weak.
• My knees don't hurt anymore. I remember that being such a big problem last year.
• I don't lift as much as I do HIIT.
• No more protein powders, which also means no Shakeology.
• I stopped participating in Foodie Penpals, mostly to save money. Budgeting is good.
• I don't go to farmer's markets anymore, partly because of work and partly because I'm over the novelty.
• I haven't had the urge to bake in awhile. I've also purchased less sweets. Well, I buy more bars of plain chocolate...
• I passed that darn CTEL exam and don't know why it took me a year to do it!

What's the same?

• My weight! I gained some weight in the summer working at the fair then lost it. Although, the best "tell" is how my jeans fit. I have a range of pants from when I was losing weight before.
• Good news! I still have my period. This last month was super painful though.
• My abilities. My body, regardless of what it looks like, has always been amazing. I can do so much and always keep up.

What to do differently:

• Try a workout and stick with it. I often get too bored. Lately, I've done tons of yoga and boot camps are my favorite right now. I'm sticking to those whenever I can and adding others as they fit into my schedule. I went to an amazing TRX boot camp class but it's so expensive!
• Sleep more. Rest more. I was working out 8-9 hours each week! Although that's a step down from the 5-6 hour days I once did.
• Be more active outside of working out. This includes walks and biking.
• Eat more. You heard it. I stopped using MyFitnessPal for good. I also am trying hard to eat what I want and not meal plan; however, sometimes I do have to plan out meals if I'm gone all day. I would practice intuitive eating except that my body rarely gets hungry for enough food - keep in mind, I was starving myself for more than a year.
• Vacation. I lose weight when I vacation and don't work out. Yep, true story.
• Stay in touch with friends. I suck at this, but I reconnected with my former roommate of 5 years, went to visit, and fell in love with friends all over again.

What will you do differently this year, or just this month?
Suggestions for anything I missed?

February goals

Happy Friday! Sadly, Friday means almost nothing to me because I've worked all day and will wake up early to workout and work tomorrow. And my feet hurt.

Today is officially February. That was quick.

Monthly goals:

• Apply for 10 more jobs. Big step up from last month.
• Read a book.
• Send Yancey and Weston's Valentine's Day package.
• Practice yoga, stretching, or walk 2xs each week in addition to regular workouts.
• Get back to budgeting weekly.

My February book is... Safe Haven! I have 14 days to read it before the movie comes out. Actually, I'm not too worried - I don't plan on seeing it.

Weekly goals:

• Scan the random documents schools want.
• Sleep 8 hours each night. Today was day 1 of 6 in a row I'll work at my other job.
• Buy vegetables - zucchinis and peppers.
• Make faux samoas to make up for not having Girl Scout Cookies.
• Paint my nails.

Source: elanaspantry.com via Julie on Pinterest

What are your February goals?
Did you reach your January goals?

One interview

Last night I got called in and following my new motto for work, "Go when asked," I went. That's 5 days of my part-time job this week!

Gotta do what I can to make some extra money.

This morning, I woke up to interview for a substitute teacher position in the district I currently work for.

We did group interviews, which was difficult especially when questions had few answer choices. Immediately after, I realized I was the only person with a credential and fingerprints already on file. They wanted me today but I declined - I can't have two positions at a time.

Despite that, I still received an e-mail for substitute orientation.

In the end, I decided I love my students too much and it's not actually beneficial for me to leave. Not only is the pay the lowest for subs in the area when we have the highest salary for teachers, but my position has allowed me to connect with teachers and staff much more than any sub position.

Regardless, I achieved my easy peasy January goal of applying for 3 jobs. The total count: no less than 15 jobs applied for.

I napped after work and headed to barre. I then spent an hour walking around Whole Foods while talking to my friend and ended up with a bar of chocolate. On sale of course.

I picked up my mail filled with all my tax forms and ended up eating a Quest bar for dinner and then a bowl of chocolate Fiber One.

Hm, I need to do some grocery shopping. I'm down to tuna and cereal!

What's For Dinner? & Five for Sunday

Breakfasts:

Source: nutbutterrunner.tumblr.com via Julie on Pinterest

Source: sprint2thetable.com via Julie on Pinterest

Lunches/Dinners:

Source: healthydivaeats.com via Julie on Pinterest

Source: shutterbean.com via Julie on Pinterest

Source: veggie-wedgie.com via Julie on Pinterest

Source: sprint2thetable.com via Julie on Pinterest

Snacks:
Pina colada fro-cho

Source: chimesdesign.com via Julie on Pinterest

I love the idea of Five For Friday and while I made a list of meal ideas for the week, I found a ton of other recipes and ideas. Thank you Pinterest. :)

5 foods I want to make and/or consume this week:
Best banana bread you'll ever have, which of course is Joy the Baker's recipe. I'm making this for Friday.

There's bacon in there, but I can do without.

Source: aturtleslifeforme.com via Julie on Pinterest

Almond joy butter

Source: minimalistbaker.com via Julie on Pinterest

Non-food to do for Valentine's Day

Source: marthastewart.com via Julie on Pinterest

All of these doughnuts. I can't wait for Sidecar Doughnuts to open up here - I keep missing their free tastings because of work!



5 fit goals for end of January:

• Ride my bike once a week. With the warmer weather, I'm down to ride to the beach to enjoy the sunset. 
• Try TRX. I was supposed to do this last week! No excuses.
• Take another barre class.
• Sleep 8 hours and take a nap once or twice a week.
• Stretch and do a yoga session at home 3xs each week.

5 ways to destress:

• Read Gone Girl. It's slow coming because I prefer a real book and am reading on a Kindle instead.
• Bike. Meditation and yoga are grounding for others, but I have trouble meditating and I like challenging yoga classes.
• Afternoon yoga at home does work though.
• Watching the dogs. They may bark at me but I'm still in awe of them.
• Napping. Who doesn't like naps? I vow to take one nap per week! 

5 items on today's agenda:

• Sleep in. I still woke up at 8 A.M.!
• Drive to the store to buy cottage cheese for oatmeal protein pancakes. :)
• Walk to and from yoga.
• Paint nails.
• Bike to the beach to enjoy the sunset.

Also, Whole Foods has a great deal with $1.50 off coupons on 2 99-cent Luna bars. I also got a stash of Clif Kids coupons! :)

Do you coupon? 
What are you doing on this fine 3-day weekend?
What yummy foods are you making this week?

High Five Friday: The Big Goal & Sushi Night

I had relatively few goals for the month and except for one - read a book, which I'm working on! - I've completed all my goals.

The big one: apply for 3 teaching jobs. By January, I had applied for 5 jobs - 4 in Asheville and 1 Saturday tutoring position out here. I got a reply from the one out here: denied.

Since then, I have applied for more than 3 positions. The process has gone by much quicker now that I have all my paperwork scanned and uploaded. :)

I've lost track. I applied for 3 other positions as well as these... for a total of 8!

 
Working on these:

Sushi with my cousins tonight, or rather early bird dinner. I had the Alaskan roll, essentially a California roll topped with salmon, with brown rice.

Lack of sleep caught up with me and I passed out a couple hours later. Thank goodness we walked around otherwise I would've slept right after eating!

Now I'm up and trying to sleep again for AM boot camp.

What's your favorite sushi roll?
How are you doing on your goals this month?

Thank My Body Thursday: Good use of time

 

I had a big to-do list yesterday and I almost finished it. Among the things I did not do: finish my friend's resume (since last week!) and repaint my nails!

I headed to yoga yesterday. The sub was an instructor I like but never get to see.

I paid the California Teaching Commission again; this time for a substitute permit. What sense does it make if I already have everything else?

At least I received 2 awesome recommendations, including one that said "in my 15 years of working with students, I have never experienced any instructional assistant who was better prepared and who worked harder than Julie."

And boy have I been working harder than usual!

After work, I bought castor oil to try out oil cleansing. The process took a long time, but I hope to see progress!

I headed to Whole Foods where I bought bison, which made me super full, and saw... Rob "The Saint" Emerson! Made my day!

I stalked him a bit before standing behind him in line to ask him if he was Rob Emerson, asked for my name, and told me he'd be on a bounty hunting show on TNT.

I also found jalapeno jack pretzels, which I've been wanting to try forever but were always a little expensive. Verdict: very salty and smells more than it tastes.

Plus, I bought a ton of items for an upcoming Valentine's Day care package I'm sending:

I watched the second half of "The Biggest Loser" before bed and was so sad to see my favorite leave!

Today was a cold one here. I'm okay with cold as long as it's this pretty though.

 I picked up all of these for 99 cents! I love the continuing holiday clearance!

I knocked out some January goals and checked off a bunch of to-dos as well:

• Applied for a job.
• Found a book to read.
• Finally compiled all my references on one document instead of searching for them every time I apply for a job!
• Made Sprint 2 The Table's sweet potato chicken salad.

While making lists is pretty much an obsession for me, I find that it focuses me and helps me make good use of my time. 

Still no meal planning for the most part and guess what, I haven't bought much food. I use up what's in the kitchen.

Have you seen any celebrities when you're out and about? Yes, Rob Emerson must be like a D list celebrity but he's one I like!

Have you tried oil cleansing? The process took me around 30 minutes the first time because I had to measure everything out and put a hot cloth on my face 5-6 times instead of 3-4.

How's the weather where you are?